Chapter 1005
Oh? Now you want to high-five me?
The Lakers did take the lead, and they maintained it for the remainder of the second quarter.
69: 77!
By the end of the first half, the two teams had combined for over 140 points. Although these two teams are old, they are incredibly fast and their offense is truly ruthless.
For the Lakers, Durant scored a career-high 33 points in the first half, Bynum had 13 points and 6 rebounds, Lin Tian had 7 points and 13 assists, while Kobe only scored 8 points on 3-of-10 shooting. His efficiency and plus-minus were the lowest on the Lakers team.
It is negative.
With the team leading by 8 points at halftime, Kobe's ability to put up a negative plus-minus rating is definitely an embarrassing thing.
This means he completely dragged the team down; if it weren't for him, the team should be leading by more than ten points right now.
Van Gundy said, "Kobe seems unable to deliver on his promise tonight. He had previously boasted that he would make everyone look good, but his performance in the first half tonight was really not good."
"Aside from that one amazing dunk, his performance was too bland at other times."
"Jeff, you're too kind," Miller said with a laugh. "This isn't just a lackluster performance; it's a terrible play that dragged the whole team down!"
"If Kobe had taken those 10 shots and given them to Durant, Durant would have scored 40 points in the first half, and might have scored 7 or 80 points by the end of the game."
"I'm just curious how the Lakers will play in the second half," Jackson said with a laugh. "Will they continue to let Durant attack like they did in the first half? Maybe then we'll see the first 60+ point game of the season!"
The hosts, of course, were always eager for a good show. They didn't care who won or lost in the regular season; they just wanted some crazy statistics and shocking moments to boost the viewership, get promoted and a raise, and enjoy watching the game even more!
Unfortunately, tonight is clearly not a good day for any season records to be broken.
In the second half, both sides switched sides and started the game again, but neither made any changes to their starting lineups.
On the first offensive play of the third quarter, Lin Tian found Kobe again.
This time, Lin Tian took the initiative to dribble towards Kobe's side, then waved to signal everyone to spread out, and then called out the tactics again.
Durant quickly turned and ran towards Kobe. After a quick off-ball screen, the two of them were incredibly open at the same time!
The Suns' defense was truly terrible. One off-ball screen from these two left Pierce and Dragic completely bewildered. The two collided, then both tried to chase Kobe, and then both stopped, trying to turn around and chase Durant.
Their defensive teamwork is really inferior to that of high school students.
Lin Tian didn't hesitate. He spotted Kobe's running route and passed the ball directly to Kobe with a bounce pass.
Kobe received the ball in the free-throw line area, then turned and jumped to complete a mid-range jump shot.
"Shh!"
As for the result, just like the first basket in the first quarter, Kobe opened the scoring for the Lakers, extending the lead to 10 points.
"Don't push your luck!" After passing the ball, Lin Tian reached out his hand again towards Kobe, wanting to give him a high five.
Logically speaking, this play could be considered Lin Tian taking the initiative to make peace, giving Kobe a way out.
Normally, Kobe would have forgotten about such a small thing, and it wouldn't have been a big deal for him to reach out and touch it.
They're teammates after all, aren't they?
But Lin Tian just happened to say that one extra sentence.
Who is Kobe?
When has he ever backed down?
I refuse to believe it today! I'm going to push my luck today!
What can you do to me?
Kobe turned around again, letting Lin Tian pass, indicating that he wasn't going to high-five him.
He felt he had vented his anger, but he clearly didn't see the wicked smile on Lin Tian's lips.
Lin Tian had no idea what the consequences would be if he said one more word.
Lin Tianneng doesn't know what Kobe's temper is like?
He did it on purpose.
Today we're going to bully you, Kobe!
Of course, it's not about fighting for possession of the ball, vying for team status, or internal power struggles.
He simply has a low moral standard and finds it more fun that way.
Then, having successfully provoked Kobe again, Lin Tian began to ignore Kobe's playing style once more.
Durant, Bynum, and Barnes repeatedly got opportunities and scored, but the Suns kept the score close and never pulled away completely. The two teams battled for a lead of around 10 points throughout the third quarter.
As for Kobe, he did have opportunities to shoot in this quarter, but how to describe his shooting opportunities?
Aside from a fast break after grabbing a rebound, it's when the shot clock is about to expire or he's out of position and surrounded by opponents, making it difficult to handle the ball.
Simply put: he has a lot of possessions, but each one is more difficult than the last.
If you only look at the data, he took the most shots on the team in this quarter!
He took 9 shots but only made 3, continuing his inefficient performance.
However, if you only watch the highlights, you'll feel that Kobe played exceptionally well in this quarter, because two of his three goals were truly spectacular.
This is also one of Kobe's strengths and important advantages.
That is, there are some people in the league who are good at making incredible shots and difficult shots, which is commonly known as taking a shot when there is no other way but to try and get lucky.
Even role players often have to take these kinds of shots when they have no other choice.
But how to say it?
Most people would be lucky to make 10% or even 7%-8% of these extremely difficult shots. Making one would be a huge win, and missing one wouldn't be a loss.
But Kobe was good at taking this kind of shot, or rather, he liked taking this kind of shot, and was even quite enthusiastic about it.
If you watch the Lakers' games closely, you'll always notice that once the 24-second shot clock hits for the last 3-5 seconds, they become incredibly proactive, showing an inexplicable desire to receive the ball and launch a difficult buzzer-beater.
Of course, his accuracy is still pretty good. Although no one has specifically calculated the accuracy of the 'miracle ball', there is no way to properly define or give a standard to determine what a miracle ball is.
But everyone agrees that Kobe is the number one expert at this!
If most people only have an 8% success rate when shooting this kind of shot, and the league average is around 10%, then Kobe would need to have a success rate and confidence of at least 15% to be universally recognized as the king of incredible shots.
To put it simply, this guy is the best bluffer in the entire league.
What about shooting an ultra-long three-pointer over defenders, what about dribbling wildly before being double-teamed and then forcing a shot, what about shooting after being hit hard on the hand, what about forcing a shot after losing balance, what about shooting from a bad angle behind the backboard...
He practices all sorts of strange things; he just loves it.
Lin Tian granted his wish and preference tonight, allowing him to enjoy shooting those kinds of balls to his heart's content in the third quarter.
And this situation continued even into the fourth quarter!
Even in the fourth quarter, Lin Tian continued to create easy scoring opportunities for his teammates and consistently delivered brilliant assists.
But they just wouldn't give it to Kobe.
And Lin Tian had plenty of reasons to do so.
“You’re the team leader, so of course you should let the younger guys take the easy shots and let them handle the easy possessions. As the big brother, you should share the burden with the younger guys and take the difficult shots.”
Lin Tian's words are not wrong; any team leader with a sense of responsibility would do the same.
Even if Kobe gritted his teeth until they broke, he couldn't find fault with him.
Even if Kobe really said that Lin Tian was targeting him and not passing him the ball, Lin Tian would have his own explanation.
Let's look at the technical statistics!
Kobe had the most shot attempts of the game, and you're still not satisfied? What more could you want?
One sentence was enough to make Kobe behave.
As for things like the timing of receiving the ball, the way of shooting, and the defensive resistance faced, it's not written in the data sheet, so I won't admit it. I'm thick-skinned, so what can you do to me?
Anyway, Kobe was extremely frustrated tonight.
He was just as frustrated playing against his old buddies.
Tonight's Kobe game: highlights available, basic stats decent, but he played awkwardly and disgustingly, and his efficiency was extremely low.
You can't really blame Kobe. He's not a masochist. He just likes to take difficult shots, but that doesn't mean he has to do it every possession.
Doing this every single round? That would be killing me! Lin Tian: Not every single round. After I pass the ball once, I wait a few rounds before feeding it to you again. I make sure you get enough rest before you can shoot again.
It's not that they didn't want to pass the ball or that they really wanted Kobe to rest.
The main problem is that he doesn't have many opportunities like this when his team's offense completely shuts down, his tactics fail to run, and his opponents seize the opportunity to force him into a desperate situation!
Firstly, the Lakers have a strong offensive team. Even though Lin Tianren removed Kobe from the system, their offensive firepower is still very strong.
Secondly, and very importantly: the Suns don't play defense!
This team's defense is too poor, making it difficult to put the Lakers' offense in a bad situation.
I simply don't have that ability!
But no matter what, Kobe must have been feeling really bad tonight.
The fight wasn't satisfying!
Kobe's displeasure lasted until the end of the game.
The Lakers maintained control of the game throughout, holding a roughly 10-point lead for most of the second half. Even as the Suns launched a fierce counterattack in the second half, they were unable to regain the lead from the Lakers.
116: 125!
Ultimately, the Lakers won this offensive battle by a margin of 9 points.
In this kind of offensive battle, both sides' players naturally achieved good statistics and had excellent performances.
Garnett scored his first 20+10 of the new season, Nash added 17 points and 14 assists, Pierce led the team with 27 points, Dragic contributed 25 points and 8 assists, and Gortat and Dudley also scored in double figures. The Suns were firing on all cylinders, making for a very exciting game!
The situation was similar for the Lakers. Bynum put up a monster performance with 27 points and 16 rebounds. Durant's performance dipped in the second half, and he failed to break his career-high single-game scoring record, but he still managed to score 44 points. Lin Tian also delivered a season-high 26 assists!
Compared to the Suns' unstoppable scoring run with six players reaching double figures, the Lakers only had four players scoring in double digits.
Besides the three mentioned above, the last one is Kobe. Kobe did score 25 points tonight, along with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks, which seems quite good. But look at his shooting percentage...
Forget it, don't bother watching.
Miserable.
In tonight's offensive battle, apart from Kobe, no one on either side had a shooting percentage below 45%. Everyone was on fire and found their rhythm.
Only Kobe had a shooting percentage of just over 30%.
Although the team won, and although Kobe made several spectacular shots, from alley-oops to powerful dunks to buzzer-beating saves, half of his shots were quite impressive.
But unfortunately, he was Kobe!
This is the same Kobe who just made a bold statement in the last game, saying that he would dominate the game and that everyone should wait and see.
Then he played a game with a low shooting percentage, scoring only 25 points.
Embarrassing.
That's incredibly embarrassing.
The only consolation is that the team won.
But Kobe's condition...
Anyway, no one on the Lakers team will say anything to Kobe, including Lin Tian, who wouldn't make fun of Kobe at this time.
Because Lin Tian knew it wasn't necessary.
Totally unnecessary.
As long as Kobe reads the newspaper, as long as Kobe turns on his phone, there are plenty of people to act as Lin Tian's mouthpiece. Mr. Lin, you can just watch the show!
That evening, Kobe, who was in a very bad mood, didn't say much and went home alone early. The assistant coaches and trainers breathed a sigh of relief, as they were really afraid that Kobe would force them to work overtime because of his poor condition.
This guy loves doing this the most.
But clearly, Kobe didn't drag them into extra practice tonight; it's just not the right time yet.
The next morning, during the Lakers' routine practice, Kobe arrived at the arena two hours early once again and began training.
Then, whenever this guy saw someone who arrived later than him, he would let out a disdainful snort or give them a fierce look.
Several newcomers in the company, such as Godlock, Parsons, and Thomas, who are always enthusiastic about training and arrive at the gym an hour early, were all trembling with fear because of him. They changed their clothes immediately and threw themselves into their training.
The atmosphere during the Lakers' practice that day was quite terrible.
No one dared to speak, no one dared to make any unnecessary noise; they were all afraid of incurring Kobe's wrath.
This same atmosphere continued for another week.
In the three games that followed that week, the Lakers won two and lost one, a respectable record. Their overall record of five wins and two losses also placed them in the top tier of the league.
Unfortunately, Kobe's performance remained poor.
In the team's first seven games, Kobe averaged only 23 points per game, with a field goal percentage of only 41%. This season, Kobe is worse than last season. Even the most clueless fans can see how bad Kobe's performance is this season.
The worse Kobe's performance became, the more afraid the Lakers players became, and the less they dared to appear in front of him, because everyone was watching the news and surfing the internet. Over the past week, the media and fans hadn't been lenient with Kobe; instead, they had launched a fierce verbal attack against him.
Is Kobe Bryant overrated at seventh place? Can the Black Mamba still make an impact?
This isn't the first time Kobe has said one thing but failed to do another!
If you can't perform well against the sun, then who can?
"Perhaps he should be ranked 27th; Kobe's performance continues to decline this season!"
"The Black Mamba has reached the point of hibernation; it's time for the Lakers' tactical focus to shift!"
"Durant should be the primary offensive weapon! It's a waste to use him as a supporting player!"
Even the most resilient point guard is about to fall; the league is entering a new era!
Re-ranking the top ten active shooting guards: Wade is number one, Kobe didn't even make the top three!
"A hero and a villain: Kobe, who wasted countless shot attempts, has become the Lakers' number one cancer!"
"To win a championship, they need to trade Kobe! The 5 players the Lakers truly need right now!"
"Just wait and see? Kobe has only made a fool of himself this time!"
……
Despite the media frenzy, Kobe's performance never really caught fire.
Of these three games, the Lakers played both away and at home, against opponents of varying strengths.
The only thing that hasn't changed is Kobe's performance; it's always been the same.
On that day, when the Lakers returned to their home court to face the Raptors, Kobe finally gave in.
Secretly.
While warming up, this guy finally found Lin Tian for the first time: "Lin..."
"Want me to feed you a few balls?" Lin Tian asked, looking at Kobe without waiting for him to finish his sentence. "Playing terribly, feeling a bit pressured?"
"That's how it is," Kobe confessed. "I want to play well."
"Then let's play well! How about we cut inside and use our momentum to attack from near the basket?"
"Okay!" Kobe nodded, walked away, and said no more.
Lin Tian didn't press him for an answer.
It was just a little bit of wicked fun, what else could it be but for Kobe to kneel down and beg for mercy!
Just give in.
"You think I can't handle you, kid?" (End of Chapter)